Mast siting

O2 is committed to industry best practice in developing its mobile networks and we aim to be transparent in our network building plans.

Our approach – particularly in building 3G services - launched in the UK, Germany and Ireland over the last two years, is to encourage dialogue and consultation with stakeholders.

We work within GSM Europe (GSME) recommendations on best practice, the UK industry’s Ten Commitments on best siting practice and the joint operator voluntary commitments in Germany.

In Ireland, we work with local authorities and planners and comply with guidelines from the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg).

All these commitments call for:

• Continuous improvement in communication and consultation.
• Compliance with exposure guidelines.
• Increased site sharing where possible.

We have a dedicated team of community relations officers in each of our businesses and their job is to engage with local communities on our network building activities – especially if there is local opposition to a mast.

We attend public meetings, consult through drop-in sessions, distribute information leaflets and, in the UK, operate a dedicated helpline for enquiries: telephone 01753 564306.

Number of queries to O2 UK on the siting of communications masts 2005/06

We aim to build our network with the least environmental impact as possible, including the visual effect of our masts.

At least once a year, we provide local planning authorities with a list of all the UK and German sites we plan to develop in the next 12 months. This helps them work with our community teams to address potential concerns.

You can access information on mobile operator base stations through various online databases:
UK: Ofcom
Germany: http://emf.bundesnetzagentur.de/gisinternet/index.aspx?User=1000&Lang=de
Ireland: askcomreg.ie